March 12th: Like riding a bicycle

mom on bike

My mother has got to be just about the cutest thing ever…. And its heartwarming to know that she is inspired to get on her bike and do exercise because she sees me doing something almost every day after work.

When I shared that I had ridden my bike earlier, she decided she wanted in on the action.  She asked is she could come by my house and do my go-to butt workout video with me.:

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When I saw her riding her bike down the street towards my house through the living room window, my heart just about melted.  She’s the best 🙂

 

 

March 11th: Things That Make You Smile

mark twain

I absolutely love this quote from Mark Twain… The longer I live and the more I experience, the less I regret anything.  Life is all about taking the most from both the bad and the good… and many of the mistakes we make in life are due to impulsive decisions that, at the moment, make us smile.  How could ANYONE regret that?

On the note of kissing slowly (BTW, did anyone realize what a romantic Mark Twain was before reading this quote?!) … I will be very frank with you all and share that kissing is one of my all-time favorite things to do in the UNIVERSE.  When I saw this short video on Facebook today, I absolutely fell in love with it.  It is a video called First Kiss.  The artist had 20 complete strangers kiss as she recorded their awkward first interactions and how they changed after just one, very passionate, kiss.

I think its a very sweet and touching way of documenting one of the universal experiences of being human.. (sigh)  Did I mention how much I love kissing?….

March 10th: Just One Day

one day

 

I absolutely love this lovely quote.  If anything could happen in just one day, doesn’t it make waking up in the morning exciting?  Fun sentiment to think about on a rough morning… First Monday of Day Light Savings… lol.  Enjoy

March 8th and 9th: Epic Declaration to the Universe

casey 1

So, this weekend I got to see and help out at a mountain biking race!  The weather was awesome, the company was lovely and doing something out of my usual was great!  Bonus is… its inspired me to try something new.  I don’t know about getting filthy dirty and riding on trails just yet (not saying I won’t try it eventually) but, I’ve decided I’m going to get on a bike of another sort….. and try doing a triathlon this upcoming season!!

That’s right!  This prissy bookworm, crocheting domestic diva, wanna-be athlete is not just going to run a sub-two-hour half marathon next season… She’s declaring to the universe that she’s gonna do a triathlon too!

Because I don’t have a legitimate road bike just yet, I filled the tires of my mom’s old bike from the 90’s (It was laying in my garage) and went on my first short ride this weekend!  I’ll be filling you in on my adventures as they arise.

Here are some fun photos from the race 🙂

March 7th: Friday

Friday

Would it be terribly unoriginal for me to say that I’m just glad my week is over?…  I’m ready for a nap.  But not until after salsa class!  That’s right, people, I’m getting my salsa on today.  Hopefully I’ll learn enough to not look like Elaine from Seinfeld anymore when I go out dancing 😉

In the words of Pitbull…. dale!

March 6th: My Health

blood pressure

Today I am grateful for my health, despite it not being where I want it to be, because I realize that it could be a lot worse.

I am struggling with my blood pressure once again.

I thought that I had it under control since I discovered it to be EXCEEDINGLY high (170/102) in 2009.  Since then I’ve done the “Dash Diet”, quit drinking coffee, eliminated salt and increased my exercise.  I’ll admit that since then, I’ve gone back to drinking a cup of coffee every morning and, on occasion, get a little too excited with the sea salt grinder but, is that enough to undo all my healthy eating and crazy running schedule?!

I can tell myself its not fair, I can decide to deny that its high and go about my day to day until I suffer the consequences OR… I can face the music and deal with it.

My doctor offered me some natural remedies a couple of months ago but, it appears as though they’re not working as well as I’d hoped.  Time to go back and take the next step.

March 5th: Massages

treat your self
Today I am grateful that I can afford to treat myself every once in a while.  Despite feeling remarkably good for having done two half marathons in a row last weekend, I realize that my muscles could use a little loosening up.  I have a dull ache in my right sciatic and hip and my calves are still a little stiff.  I called a local massage parlor chain and scheduled an appointment for this evening… and am SO glad I did.
I’m just going to cook myself up some soup, paint my nails and head to bed early once I get home, thank you very much

March 4th: Shooting Stars

home like a shooting star
I’ve been working very hard in recent months to “come back home.”  What I mean by this is not entirely clear, sometimes.  Even to me.
I supposed “home” is not a place but, rather, a state of being in which you are most comfortable, most content and most yourself.  As children, once we are old enough to process and give meaning to the world around us, we begin to define ourselves in relation to this world and not in relation to what we innately are.
I’ve allowed the criticism, selfishness, carelessness and even the well-intentioned opinions of others to make me stray.  I have allowed these things (as it is only natural for all humans to do) to shape me, to make me uncomfortable in my own skin, to make me sad, frustrated and inauthentic to myself…
But I’m ready to create something that is great from within and for myself so that I may share it with the world.  Like a shooting star, I’m going home.  🙂

March 2nd: Race #2… Mission Accomplished!

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Well, we both woke up sore and tired at 5:20am this morning but neither of us let on that we thought this might be a bad idea… back to back half marathons in one weekend is pretty crazy.

Since we both put on our brave faces (and really wanted to prove that we could do this) we headed over to the Swamp House Half as planned.  It was pretty cold by our standards, around 50 degrees, and our tired muscles and joints were stiff as boards but when the blow horn sounded we were off.

The conversation was good, the company was the best and the adventure was epic.  I love my little sister and our crazy antics.  It was a fun race and the after party was lively and delicious!  Where else do you get unlimited IPA beer and jambalaya included in your race entry?!  Oh, and did I mention that they gave us a little swig of beer at mile 12 just to give us the motivational boost we needed to finish?  Fun times!

Amazing finale to an amazing race season.  I am so proud, happy and ready to train for next season’s goal: HALF MARAHON UNDER TWO HOURS!!

March 1st: 2:04:00 Baby!!!

proud 2

Its called the Best Damn Race…. and it was definitely MY Best Damn Race.  I beat my personal record by 4 minutes!  The official times are not yet available on the race’s web site but as I crossed the finish, the time clock read 2:04:00 exactly!!  I couldn’t believe it!  I am over-joyed and feeling GREAT!

No tummy aches today either!  I think I just needed to include more protein in my diet!  One down and one to go for this crazy weekend.  Tonight, we will be having a pre-Mardi Gras extravaganza at a local pub and making King Cake, lol.  Let the good times roll!

Wish us luck tomorrow… Swamp House here we come!!